Best knockoffs?

[jcampioni]

I was just wondering who makes the best knockoff crankbaits. Not interedted in selling them, just painting for myself and my buddies and was looking for the ones that will run closest to the baits they are mimicing. Painted up some predator 2.5 knockoffs but havent got to run em yet.

[sc419795]

I have a few of the Predator 2.5's also. Water is a little hard here so I won't be throwing them for a few months. If you get them to run, I would be interested in what you had to do. I will tell you that I have already rounded off the bill and shaved the front end into a little more gradual slope.

[tr20bruce]

Bustinbassbaits has a new RC2.5 that is very close to the real thing. He sells on eBay or you can get them on his site.

[te1980]

bustinbassbaits.com has got alot of new knock offs available now, I haven't heard of anybody trying them out yet though. I'll probably order some pretty soon. Predator's Megabass Anthrax and PopMaxx knock offs are pretty good, I've used them and they run pretty true out of the box. Jann's has some knock off bodies too, I've painted a few for a friend but have not fished any.

[sc419795]

Have you gotten the predator RC2.5's to run yet? I have a few - just wondering what you did if you were able to get them to run.

[Fishwhittler]

The predator RC knockoffs work pretty good. I haven't caught much on them yet, but then I haven't really fished them as much as other baits I use. I have caught fish on them though, and it is possible to get them to run straight. A few things that might help:

Make sure the bill is even. If you sand the bill to make it rounded instead of square, make sure you keep the bill even.

Use size two hooks instead of size fours. The extra weight on the belly helps keep the bait upright and running straight.

For those of you that use epoxy topcoat, I would also recommend not coating the bill with epoxy. That can cause uneven buildup of epoxy on the bill and that will also make it run crooked. The bills can be sanded and polished to get a clear bill. This won't be much of an issue for guys that use thin topcoats.

Then it should merely be a matter of bending the line tie to one side or the other, but that may not be necessary. I only had problems with a few of the ten RC knockoffs I have, and using size two hooks pretty much took care of that.

I hope this helps.

Ben

[asipes]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by Fishwhittler &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">... The bills can be sanded and polished to get a clear bill.</td></tr></table>

Polished with what? I would like to improve the look of the bills.

[Fishwhittler]

Automotive clear-coat polish works well.

If you do polish bills, you'll need to sand them first. Start with 220 grit, and then work up to 500-600 grit before polishing. It will make the polishing go a lot easier, and the bill will also be smoother.

You can use a polishing wheel in a dremel tool to make it go even faster. Plus the polishing wheel can fit into tight places your fingers can't reach. You'll need to be careful and keep the wheel moving on the bill; if you hold it in one place too long it will burn into the bill and leave a mark.